In the post, we will learn How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO. We recently discussed How to Create macOS Big Sur Bootable Installer for Clean Installation: 2 Easy Steps (MAC only) that might have helped you to create a macOS Big Sur Bootable USB.

Advanced Mac users get the freedom to convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO file. Normally, the resulting installer ISO file is utilized to install macOS Big Sur on Virtualbox and install macOS Big Sur on VMWare.

This tutorial will walk through the steps of How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO.

How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide

In this specific walkthrough, we will Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO.

You can also read: How to Speed Up macOS Big Sur? 7 Easy Methods

How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO

Step 1: Download the macOS Big Sur Installer file from AppStore. You can simply follow this link and download the macOS Big Sur installer file (.app file).

YOU CAN ALSO READ:  How to Install macOS Big Sur on VirtualBox on Windows? 8 Step Guide

Step 2: After the download is complete, do not proceed to install the macOS. Instead, close the installer and go to your application and look out for the installer file.

How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide

NOTE: The files must be present in your application folder to proceed with this tutorial.

Step 3: Now open you launchpad, and click Terminal.

How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide

Step 4: Execute the following commands one by one.

Create an empty Big Sur DMG image using the following command:

sudo hdiutil create -o /tmp/BigSur -size 16384m -volname BigSur -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J

Next step is to mount the created Big Sur DMG disk image:

sudo hdiutil attach /tmp/BigSur.dmg -noverify -mountpoint /Volumes/BigSur
How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide

Now use createinstallmedia command to create the macOS Big Sur installer application on the mounted volume:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/BigSur --nointeraction
How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide

When createinstallmedia has finished, next you can unmount the volume you just created:

hdiutil eject -force /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur
How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide

Now we convert the DMG disk image file to an ISO disk image file (technically a CDR file but it’s the same as an iso)

hdiutil convert /tmp/BigSur.dmg -format UDTO -o ~/Desktop/BigSur

Finally, we rename the Big Sur CDR file extension to Big Sur ISO to convert the CDR to ISO:

mv -v ~/Desktop/BigSur.cdr ~/Desktop/BigSur.iso

Now you can see the macOS Big Sur ISO file on the desktop as shown in the snapshot.

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Incase you want to remove the temporary file you can use the following command:

sudo rm -fv /tmp/BigSur.dmg

This is not a compulsory step, and the temporary file is removed automatically after some time.

Conclusion: How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide

You can also use this guide How to Convert Bootable ISO File to Virtual Disk VHD/VMDK: 2 Way Guide and directly use them on your virtual systems.

Now, this macOS Big Sur ISO file can be used as a bootable disk, or you can directly use it on any virtual system like VMWare and VirtualBox.

Related: How to Create macOS Big Sur Bootable Installer for Clean Installation: 2 Easy Steps (MAC only)

Remember: In most cases, the ISO file that you have generated can only be used to run on Virtual Systems like Virtualbox and VMWare. They might not always work to create a bootable disk.

You can also refer to my post- How To Create macOS Big Sur Bootable USB on Windows: 4 Easy Steps (+Video Tutorial) if you are using a Windows system.

YOU CAN ALSO READ:  How to install Windows 10 on macOS 11 Big Sur: Step-by-step Guide

I hope this article has helped you to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO.

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Ruby has been a writer and author for a while, and her content appears all across the tech world, from within ReadWrite, BusinessMagazine, ThriveGlobal, etc.

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